Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 60:

In page 12, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following:

“(c) The regulations set out by the Minister under Section 8 of this Act will be laid before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs for consideration.”.

This is to clarify a number of points that have been raised. We have been told that records will be kept and regulations will be put in place on husbandry and the way things are carried out. We have also been told there will be regulations on, for example, the amount of growth that will be cut. The Minister has given indications of policy intent on the kinds of regulations she envisages. We have pushed strongly to have those provisions inserted into the legislation, which is my preference, but if the various issues we have raised are to be addressed in regulation, and we have been told they will be, we ask that the regulations would be sent for scrutiny before the Joint Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Affairs for consideration. We are asking that there be an oversight process for these regulations. My preference would be that some of the concerns we have raised would be addressed in primary legislation but if they are to be addressed in regulations instead, let us ensure there is oversight and scrutiny of these to ensure they deliver on the stated and hoped-for intents.

If we are to look at a pilot period, for example, and regulations in respect of a pilot period, we would assume that we would learn from that. The Minister has indicated she will keep records and information will be gathered from it. We would imagine that information would lead to change in the regulations before they were extended. The Minister just stated that there would be a review and an examination of impacts before making any extension. That would potentially necessitate a change to regulations. I am stating similarly where new experiments are conducted on hedgerows, those regulations would also be put before the relevant committee for discussion and scrutiny.